When do you guys use chaos bolt?

So I have been getting sick of affliction warlock for some reason so I started to play around with destruction warlock. My question is when do you guys use chaos bolt? I usually use chaos bolt when I have at least 2 procs (Lighweave, trinks, tinkers, etc.) or 1 proc and ds up. Sometime when I get lucky I might get all at the same time then toss out some 500k+ bolts.

I pool mine for burst phases, but if you don't have a burst phase for quite a while, or you don't need embers for anything to much, id spend them after u get 2. Always keep one up until the end of the fight then blow it and try to end on 0.

Edit: and yes if the stars align its better to wait until you have alot of procs/trinket etc up to pop them, but that doesn't happen often.

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Unless the fight is going to end soon (in which case you should be using embers for Shadowburn anyway) or there is some fight specific phase change etc soon, here's my reasoning:

- If there are viable targets for cleave, always make sure you have embers to be able to Havoc-CB on cooldown.
- Unless you are closing to capping embers, save them for trinket procs and/or DS. There is no harm in pooling embers unless you risk capping. With 4 piece bonus, your DS will almost always be ready soon enough that it's worth saving embers for DS unless _everything_ else procs.
- Fight specific situations. There are quite a lot of fight specific stuff that should go on this list like adds that need to be burned no matter if your DS is up soon and nothing has proced.

In general, as I also recently switched from Aff to Destro more or less full time, I think this is what makes the spec so much more fun to play. Sure, Affliction is more mechanically demanding (sort of) but Destruction is much more demanding and therefor fun in the decision making and planning. That also why I feel that Destro, when played well enough, plays better than it sims in many cases.

I always use my first one during the initial burst phase, at the beginning of the fight. From then on, I do not use one unless 1 of 2 things are present. 1. The next thing I do that increases my Burning Embers will make me hit Ember #4 or 2. Something has proc'd like a trinket, lightweave, boss mechanic that causes increased damage etc. If none of those are present its not a DPS loss to pool them. Its only a DPS loss to sit at 4, or to use them when no proc is up.

It really depends on the fight.
If you have constant adds, you should (must) try to cast it combined with Havoc.
If you're having a burn phase, then pool them all with DS and as many proc/trinkets/potions as possible.
If it's a constant fight, I try to sit between 3 and 4 embers pooling one as soon as I reach 4.
I usually start a fight with DS and pooling the first ember on a Chaos bolt (if the fight mechanic doesn't make it a waste or you need that first ember later) and spam Incinerate like there's no tomorrow to get as many embers as possible as DS lasts.

few beginning seconds of the fight top3, then few dozens of seconds later mid pack, then 2/3 bottom pack when spaming incinerate, and generally when i launch some CB with good procs, i go again mid pack, rarely 1/3 top of the pack, but never maintain my position enough to finish in a good position

As a contrary with affli i'm way better placed (i admit its my gameplay but can't find much to optimise and i do use : spam inci, never being ember capped or mana starved, launch CB or SB with good procs+ds if possible)

Unless I'm reaching ember cap I will use it with the following abilitys

Dark Soul
2 conflags and their haste buffs

Of course I save the embers in case their is a burst phase or the boss is about to reach execute phase, but other then that I will use Chaos Bolt whenever I can.

Also I hate waiting for procs since I don't want to reach ember cap.

Don't waste Backdraft on it. Backdraft not only reduces more total cast-time by spending it on Incinerate, but it also reduces mana cost. Spending Backdraft primarily on Chaos Bolt is a very sub-optimal way of playing in PvE.

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Originally Posted by Szemere

Don't waste Backdraft on it. Backdraft not only reduces more total cast-time by spending it on Incinerate, but it also reduces mana cost. Spending Backdraft primarily on Chaos Bolt is a very sub-optimal way of playing in PvE.

Not to mention it ruins CBs purpose as a mana regen if you don't let the max amount of mana regen while casting CB. And thats assuming you don't waste conflag emberbits by casting at 4 embers.

In general, I don't use CB until either 4 embers/low mana OR burst (with DS and CDs)

Lightweave + Yu'lon + Light of the Cosmos keeps me relatively proc heavy.Multi-target: Keep havoc on cooldown, and I still gain embers so that I have about 3 by the time DS is ready. Then burn everything.Single-target: Cast Chaos Bolt when 2+ procs are up, but ensure you are hitting 4 embers by the time DS is ready.

Always delay DS for optimum use if there is no chance you will get another DS before the boss is dead. Examples include execute phase.

Outside of any required burst phase and now that I have the 4p, I pool them for DS, and blow one or two in between when mana gets low and I have Jade Spirit and usually Lightweave or Relic proc'd. It happens a lot per fight, you usually don't necessarily have to watch for it. As long as you're not capping at 4, you're not really wasting CB's as long as you don't end with embers banked.